Yielding upper bearing for centrifugal separators



G. W. HOFMANN A ND W. R. MURAY,

YIELDING UPPER BEARING FOR CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATORS.

CATION FILED NOV. 18. I916. RENEWED MAR.

1920. Patented Sept. 28, 1929.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE w. Horn-mun AND WILLIAM R. MURAY, 0E MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN,

ASSIGNORS TO STANDARD SE-PARATOR COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WIS- GONSIN, ACORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

YIELDING UPPER BEARING FDR CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

1 Application filed November 18, 1916, Serial No. 132,026. Renewed.March 1, 1920. Serial No. 862,550.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE WV, Hor- MANN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and Stateof Wisconsin, and WILLIAM R. MURAY, a subject of the Emperor of Japan,and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Yielding UpperBearings for Centrifugal Separators, of which the following is adescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which area part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a yielding upperbearing forcentrifugal separators which will readily permit of the oscillationandgyration of the separating bowl supporting spindle with the leastamount of friction. i

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in theyielding upper bearing for centrifugal separators as herein claimed andall equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, inwhich like characters ofreference indicate the same parts in the different views,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of a yielding bearing forcentrifugal separators constructed in accordance with this invention;

' Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the rollersand their spacing rings.

In these drawings 10 indicates a bowl supporting spindle of acentrifugal separator which is provided as usual with a drivingconnection and an end'thrust bearing at its lower end, not shown. Thespindle passes through an opening in the frame or casing 11 as usual,where it is surrounded by a cylindrical tubular sleeve 12 which isprovided at its lower end with an internal flange 13 and an externalflange 1 1. At its upper end it is provided with an internal shoulderedrecess 15 within which is tightly fitted a retaining ring 16 and anexternal flange 17 resting onthe casing with an upturned rim 18 to forman oil reservoir into which lubricating oil is dropped from an oil feedtube 19 passing through the casing.

Within the sleeve 12 and resting on the internal flange 13 thereof is aspacer ring 20 of somewhat larger internal diameter than the diameter ofthe spindle and of somewhat smaller external diameter than the internaldiameter of the sleeve and provided W113i regularly spaced verticalsockets 21 n its upper part, each socket being larger in dlameter thanthe thickness of the spacer r1ng with a conically shaped lower endforming a lubricant pocket. A series of vertical rollers 22 withspherically rounded ends loosely fit in the sockets of the spacer ring20 and have the corresponding sockets of a similar but inverted spacerring 23 loosely fitting on their upper ends, the upper spacer ring 23being thus supported solely by the upstanding rollers and being confinedagainst displacement therefrom by the retaining ring 16 to permit alimited vertical movement of the spacer ring and the entire assembly ofthe roller cage within the sleeve 12. The rollers 22 are of suchdiameter that they may bear against the inner walls of the sleeve oragainst the surface of the spindle, that is, they have a diametergreater than the thickness of the spacer rings, but sufficient play isprovided to enable them to assume a slightly inclined position when theroller cage is subjected to a torsional stress.

The sleeve 12 is surrounded by a yielding bowl-balancing spring 24, suchas covered by Patent No. 1,158,726, dated November 2, 1915, such springbearing against the walls of the casing opening in the usual manner.

in operation the side thrust of the separator spindle which'is developedparticularly before the attainment of the full speed at which separationis effected is resisted by the upper bearing, the yielding of the spring24: serving to minimize the oscillation and gyration of the separatorbowl, but more particularly this restraining of the lateral movements ofthe top heavy spindle is performed without imposing a material re- 55 aspindle respectivelm 'and a second spacer ring. supported solely by theupper ends of rollers to assume an inclined position 'further reducesfriction by relieving end thrust of the roller cage against the sleeve.The

upper spacerring 23 being supported only by the ends of the rollerswhich loosely fit therein may morereadi-ly follow. therotating spindlethan the? lower spacer ring, 30011 account of the latter resting onthe'fiange 13.

Consequently the upper ends of the rollers will lea'n slightly in thedirection of rotation of the spindle as-permittedby their loose fitninthe sockets of both spacer rings, and though this inclination is inadirectlon to cause the rollers to tend to, creep downwardly on thebearing surface of the sleeve it is'also c in the directionto cause therollers to tend V tocreep upwardly on the spindle, and as the rollercage is contracted tomore closely fit around thespindle by reason ofthetors 'sional twist or distortion of the roller cage incidentto suchinclination of the rollers, thetendency of the rollersto,creep'upwardlyon' the spindle is greater than the tendency to oreepdownwardly onthejsleeve' surface, and thus the end thrust of the roller-cage Vagainst the sleeve flange. is reduced to a.

minimum.

f V What we-claim r as newand desire to secure by Letters Patentis;

-l.' ln-fuipper' bearingfor centrifugal separator-spindles, a suitablymounted sleeve for surrounding, the spindle, series of rollers adaptedto bear against the spindle and the wall of the sleeve, and upper andlowerjspacer rings for spacing' the rollers apart whilefperlnittingjthem to assume an inclined position with relation to the axis o he'isp nlegt e f 'flbe lg m an tarding'the movement of one of the spacer rings.V

' 2. An upper bearing for centrifugal separator 'spindles, comprising ,ayieldably mounted flanged sleeve for 'surroundingthe spindle, spacerring; within the sleeve resting on the fl'ange thereof and provided withsocketspillf i$ 1 1 part, rollers standing on 11K within the sockets ofsaid spacer V ring-andfhaving a diametergreater than the 7 thickness ofthe spacer ring to bear against the inner wall of the sleeve and againstthe the rollers by having sockets in its lower for holding the rollersparallel with each other but permitting an inclination of the rollerswith res'pect'to the axis of the spindle.

'3. In "an upper bearing for centrifugal separatorspindles, a suitablysupported sleeve for surroundlng the spindle, 'a' series of verticalrollers to bear against the spindle and "tliewallsof the sleeverespectively, and up-c "spacer-rings atthe ends of the rollers forspacing the rollers apart,'there being means for retarding one spacerring to incline the rollers and contract them around the spindle.

' 5. An vupper bearingifor centrifugal separator spindles, comprising ayieldably mounted sleeve for surrounding the spindle, vertical rollers,thereinio bear against the spindle and the-wallsof the sleeverespectively, an internal fiangeat the lower end of the sleeve, a lowerspacer ring restingon the flange and provided with sockets in its upperpart in which the lower ends [of the rollers; are loosely seated, asimilar fspa'cer ring with its sockets inits lower part and looselyfitting on I, the upper endsof' the rollers, and a; retaining ringfitting'inthe upper end of thesleeve. I p H "6. An 7 upper bearing forcentrifugal 'sep- Vertical ro 'ein to bear against the spindle and thewalls of the sleeve respectively and having spherically rounded ends, aninternal flange at the lower end'of' the sleeve, a lower spacer ringresting'on the flange-and providedv with sockets :in its upper part inwhich the lower. endsof the rollers. are loosely seated,i'said"sockets"haviiig .conica'lly; recessed 'bcaoms'rdrmin lubricant pockets} asimilar spacer ring with its} sockets its lower p' a'rt loosely fittingonthe upper endsfofthe rollers, and a retaining ring fitting in theupper end of the v s; I 1 7' r testimony whereof, we affix oursignatures, in presence of two witnesses. i V GEORGE ,WQHOFMANN. p*WILLIAh/I RiMU'RAY/ jWitnesses: r V V a GbRGE JAKE, i

N-nr'i'ni'F. Donne.

